Christmas Eve Blues
by T-Frey
Summary: Espio doesn't get the point of Christmas and doesn't care to, as he plans to spend it alone like he usually does. That was the plan, at least, until a certain AI invites him over. It'll be a learning experience for both chameleon and holo-lynx as they try to figure out what's so special about this "Christmas" holiday, and maybe discover something interesting about each other too.


Espio sat alone in the headquarters of the Chaotix Detective agency, idly flipping through channels on the T.V. to keep himself somewhat occupied. It was Christmas Eve, so Vector decided to close up early and give the rest of the Chaotix the rest of the day as well as tomorrow off to celebrate the holidays. For someone so dedicatated to his work and making money, even he saw the importance of giving his team a chance to relax and spend time with their families and loved ones. Though honestly, Espio wouldn't have minded if they stayed open.

He didn't really see the point of Christmas, nor did he care to. His clan never celebrated it, so he didn't see what was so important about this particular time of year. It seemed as if everyone just needed an excuse to be lazy, shop, and eat. The idea didn't seem appealing to him in the least. Not only that, but he was always left to himself when the agency was closed. Vector would go back to Downunda, and Charmy went to visit Saffron at their hive. He supposed he could always go back to his clan, see his mother, but he would most likely get sent out on a mission for them the moment he returned, so there wouldn't be any time to spend with them. Besides, their company wasn't exactly the _warmest_ of Mobians either, and not just because they were cold-blooded reptiles.

So, Espio would stay behind at the Chaotix Agency, usually spending his free time catching up on the overdue bills that Vector always neglected to pay or taking advantage of the silence to meditate unbothered. It was very peaceful, and he actually enjoyed this rare time to himself. Yet…for a holiday that emphasized spending time with others, it certainly got pretty lonely. This year was no exception.

The T.V. was playing nothing but cheesy holiday movies, so Espio shut it off with a disgruntled sigh and went to go fix himself something to eat, but not before checking to see if the machine had picked up any phone calls from potential clients trying to reach the agency. Unsurprisingly, there weren't any.

 _Looks like it will be another uneventful Christmas…but I still can't let my guard down._ Espio tried to motivate himself, even if the silence and boredom were starting to get to him.

He longed for the days when Mighty was here; at least he'd have someone to talk to. Like he, Mighty didn't have anywhere to go either, so he would also stay behind at the agency, and the two would hang out, chat, and bond over drinks until one of them, usually the armadillo, passed out. But that was before he managed to find family with Ray, and now that he'd reunited with his sister, the three were probably having a blast celebrating their very first Christmas together. He was really happy for him, but he couldn't deny that he wished Mighty would at least have the courtesy to check in with his other "family" at the Chaotix. Knuckles and Julie-Su didn't even bother coming by anymore.

The kettle was starting to whistle, and as Espio was about to pour the boiling water into his cup of noodles, he heard his phone buzz on the counter. Curious, he glanced at the screen to see who messaged him. Vector was the first one to come to mind, as he probably wanted to check in and see if the agency was still in one piece. So Espio was rather surprised to see that it wasn't Vector who texted him, but NICOLE. That certainly got his attention. She never contacted him this directly unless she actually needed him for something important.

 _NICOLE: Evening. What are you doing right now?_

Espio typed back immediately: _Nothing. Do you require my assistance?_

A minute went by, then two. Espio just sat there at the counter staring at the screen of his phone, patiently waiting for NICOLE to reply until his stomach gave off a low growl. He reached over for his chopsticks and was about to take a bite of his noodles when his phone buzzed again.

 _NICOLE: I do, if you aren't busy._

 _Espio: I'm on my way._

True to his word, Espio wasted no time locking up the agency, throwing on a scarf for warmth, and heading over to New Mobotropolis, where her main system was. It took a while to get there in the snow, but he was glad there wasn't a blizzard as he finally made it to Freedom HQ. After slipping through the front entrance, he looked around for any sign of NICOLE, but she wasn't there. Neither were Tails or Rotor for that matter, which he found strange because they were the ones who were always there to keep an eye out for Robotnik's movements or sometimes to work on a new invention. The place was completely empty, and he was starting to become suspicious.

Espio slipped off his snow-crusted boots, shivering a bit as he found that the heater wasn't even turned on- which made the inside even more cold than it was outside- then went to go look around. A decorated Christmas tree stood in the middle of the room with presents for each of the Freedom Fighters piled underneath it. They were most likely planning on having their own celebration tomorrow. He went into the computer room to look for NICOLE, not too surprised to find that it was as cold as a freezer. The temperature was always cold to keep her CPU from overheating, but surely too much cold couldn't be good for her? At least, he knew that this type of environment wasn't suitable at all for chameleons, so he didn't want to spend too much time in here.

"NICOLE?"

No answer. The main computer didn't even turn on. Her mobile device was nowhere to be seen either, so Sally must have taken it with her, wherever she had gone. He went into another room where NICOLE's main CPU was, deciding to check in there before giving up and finding some warmth. As he was about to leave, something peculiar caught his attention, and he quickly went over to examine it. A small box, covered in dark purple wrapping paper, rested on the floor amidst all the various computer gadgets and devices. He picked it up, wondering what something like that was doing in NICOLE's CPU, only to be slightly shocked that his name was on the box.

"Oh, you found it."

He instantly recognized the voice, quickly turning around to face her as he intuitively hid the box behind his back. "NICOLE. Were you here this whole time?"

The holo-lynx gave off a small smile and shook her head. "The power went out, so I went to go investigate the cause. Nothing significant that a power ring can't fix."

"I see." It was then that he brought out the box from behind his back and inspected it closely. "So I assume this is not why you called me over here."

NICOLE looked sheepish, her eyes cast downwards to the floor, refusing to meet his gaze. "I…this is my first Christmas. I mean, on my own. I've heard a lot of people talk about it and why it's important, but…I still don't understand what it all means. So, I thought maybe you could help me. This is how it's supposed to go, right?" She looked up at him then, beaming. "Merry Christmas, Espio!"

Espio was a little puzzled at first, but he saw how NICOLE looked at him expectantly, eyeing both him and the present he held in his hands. It was then that he put two and two together, and it all made sense. NICOLE wanted him to come over, so she could give him this gift. A gift she herself got for him. Even in the freezing cold of this room, he felt his face heating up with embarrassment, realizing that she expected him to open it up here and now.

"Th-Thank you, NICOLE…" He bowed his head to her slightly to show his gratitude as his trembling hands went to work tearing off the paper. Her smile widened when he lifted the lid from the box and withdrew from it what looked like a wrist communicator.

"Is…is this?"

"A watch with wide-range communication abilities, yes." She responded for him as she motioned for him to put it on. "But there's something more to it. I, _ahem_ , had Rotor make it compatible with my systems. That way, you can communicate with me directly instead of just texting."

"NICOLE…"

"I know that we don't really get the time to see each other in person, so…I hope this can help remedy that a bit." She glanced up at him, flustered at what she just said. "Er, professionally of course! I understand you must be very busy with your work at the Chaotix, so this will be much faster for when you need me—"

Espio took her hand into his, effectively cutting her off, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you." He repeated, smiling warmly. "I really appreciate this."

The holo-lynx visibly relaxed when he said that. "Ah, good. Forgive me if I made you uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention to send you the wrong idea."

"No, I understand. You're right, we hardly see each other, and that's a problem. I consider you one of my good friends, and the time we spend together is valuable, whether it's on a mission or otherwise."

"I'm glad you think so." NICOLE smiled back, ignoring the fact that he still had her hand in his.

Espio finally did and released her quickly, clearing his throat a bit. He looked at the watch, examining it over in awe. "It really is a nice watch. You didn't have to do this."

"Ah, but I wanted to. As I said, I wanted to experience Christmas first-hand, so this is what came to mind."

"But NICOLE…I didn't even get you anything."

"That's alright. Seeing that you like the watch is enough."

He couldn't accept that. Espio had let Christmases come and go without making a bother over it, but this was the first time someone had actually thought about him and genuinely put some thought into giving him a gift. He wasn't about to let this experience go to waste. Setting the empty box down, his hands went to the knot of his scarf that he was currently wearing, and after a second's debate started to untie it. The fabric fell loose around his neck, which he then removed from himself and placed it over NICOLE, who seemed both confused and taken aback by the gesture.

"Here," he said, gingerly tying it around her neck. "I know your systems need to be kept cool, but you're a real Mobian now. Surely, you must be freezing outside of the computer. It isn't much, but this scarf has kept me warm even during the harshest of winters."

"Espio…" Her fingers traced the delicate threads of the knitted scarf as she admired the handiwork. As Espio said, it provided her with warmth, but a part of her was certain she was warm for other reasons. "Thank you so much. I love it."

The chameleon snorted. "Please, it's nothing compared to the gift you've given me."

"I didn't realize this was a competition. I thought the process behind gift-giving was the thought. Am I wrong?"

"Well, no. But sometimes it's nice to give something that you know the person will actually like."

"Alright, then there's no problem here. I really do like it. It's a beautiful scarf." She smirked at his disbelieving expression. "I like the cold, but sometimes it can get to be too much. I could make something with my data, but a real, hand-knitted scarf is better than a bunch of computer-generated codes any day."

"I'm glad you like it then."

The two stood there for a while, observing each other with their gifts. Neither of them said anything, but Espio didn't think they had to. He rather enjoyed the silence, just watching NICOLE mess with the ends of his- _her-_ scarf while trying to find a suitable style for herself. It was entertaining, and rather adorable. He thought she looked good no matter how she chose to wear it, though he wouldn't dare say that out loud to her.

"So…is this it?" The holo-lynx suddenly muttered, catching his attention.

"Hm?"

"Is this the point of Christmas? I don't know why, but…it feels rather shallow. I thought I would get answers, but I am still very confused."

"I wish I could answer that question for you, NICOLE, but I'm afraid I am about as bewildered as you are when it comes to this sort of holiday." The chameleon sighed. "From what I hear, Christmas is a time to be celebrated by friends and family, a time to gather and spend time with each other."

"Then…why are you by yourself?"

"Vector and Charmy went to see their loved ones, so I opted to watch over the agency just in case of a client. And you?"

NICOLE looked down at the scarf, playing with one of the tassels. "Everyone went back to their families. Sonic and Sally are spending their holidays together. Rotor is with Antoine and Bunny. Tails is with his parents. They'll be back tomorrow to have a small Christmas celebration, but I chose to stay behind and watch over New Mobotropolis. Somebody has to make sure Robotnik doesn't try anything on the holidays."

"I see…" He paused for a few beats. "It's lonely, isn't it?"

"If that is this empty, quiet sensation where I feel as though something is lacking from my everyday life, then yes…yes, it is."

Espio chuckled. "You and me both."

Another silence followed, though more depressing than before. Then Espio let out a sneeze, effectively ruining the solemnity of the moment.

"Ah, excuse me." He sniffled. "I might be coming down with a cold."

NICOLE chuckled. "Not surprising. I can see you shivering."

"Is…is it that obvious?"

"You must be very cold. Would you like your scarf back?"

"Heh. No, I want you to have it. But…I think I would like to get out of this room."

The holo-lynx nodded and escorted him back out of the lab and down into the lounge area. Espio noticed immediately that the heater had kicked back on, and it was a lot warmer now than it was when he first arrived. His body shuddered in delight, feeling his body temperature already returning to normal. Then NICOLE instructed him to take a seat on the couch while she went to go retrieve a blanket for him.

"Do you want anything? Tea or cocoa?"

"Tea would be great."

He watched her set out a kettle on the stove, marveling at how far she had come as a sentient being. Her time among the Freedom Fighters and other Mobians in New Mobotropolis had taught her well, as she seemed to be getting the hang of being sentient. He looked down at the watch she gifted him, thinking about all the trouble she went through to get it for him, and why she wanted to do something like that for him in the first place. It was only because she cared enough for him to give him something so special.

It dawned on him then. NICOLE cared about him. She gave him a present, offered him a warm blanket, and was making him tea all because she cared about him. He blushed at the thought.

"Here, Espio." The chameleon looked up and saw her standing over him with a cup offered to him. He carefully took it and let the sweet scent of herb tea invade his nostrils.

"Thanks, NICOLE."

She sat down next to him on the other side of the couch, her own tea in hand. Espio observed her intently as he sipped from his cup. Every so often, she would take the ends of the scarf and caress it in her paws, and she smiled contentedly to herself. It was just a scarf, but it was _his_ scarf that she was wearing, and she treated it as if it was one of her most prized possessions. He wondered, if it was because it belonged to him, that she favored it so. It was a silly thought, one that he chased away rather quickly, but he couldn't deny that it left him feeling warm inside.

"Espio?" NICOLE called to him.

"Hm?"

"I was, er, wondering…since you don't have anyone waiting for you back at the Chaotix, and you probably don't want to go back out into the snow without a scarf, would you like to spend your Christmas Eve here? With me?" She looked over to him, green eyes meeting yellow. "If you can't, I understand. Far be it from me to pull you away from your work."

Espio thought for a moment. He very much wanted to spend time with her sipping tea rather than being alone, waiting for the phone to ring, and eating lukewarm instant noodles. But his duties as a detective came first, and he couldn't just abandon his post when Vector was counting on him.

"I don't know if I…wait…" An idea came to him, as he looked down at his new watch. "You said this has wide-range communication abilities. Maybe you can help me connect this to the Chaotix phone so that all calls will be transferred directly to me."

"It can certainly do that, and I'll be happy to help. So, you'll stay?" Her green eyes started to light up with anticipation and excitement.

"Of course. I'll help you keep tabs on Robotnik, and you can assist me if a case comes up."

"Deal. What is it they say: two heads are better than one?"

"Indeed. And, well…" Espio stared down into his mug, as if he found something interesting in his tea. "Y-You said that we don't get to spend much time together, and since neither of us have anyone to be with during the holidays…"

"…It's a perfect arrangement." She finished for him when she noticed him trailing off.

"…Right."

The two finished their tea, and afterwards NICOLE helped Espio program his new watch. It helped that she could enter the system and make the connection herself with the agency, and they were done within minutes. The night was still young, so the two spent the next few hours on the couch catching up on lost time. As they conversed, Espio realized he had forgotten just how easy it was to talk to NICOLE. She may have still been learning about her emotions, but she seemed to be able to understand and sympathize with him as they talked about whatever was on their minds. They didn't notice the hours creeping by until it was nearly one in the morning, and NICOLE let out a yawn that sounded more like a glitch. It was only then that Espio noticed the heaviness in his eyelids, and this couch was starting to become more comfortable by the minute.

"It's very late." He said. "No client and no movement from Robotnik. I guess even a black-hearted villain like him shows restraint when it comes to the holidays."

NICOLE giggled. "Unlikely. Besides his robots, he doesn't have anyone who particularly cares for him. I don't think he'll be getting any presents this year."

"True, or perhaps he programmed his robots to go out and get him gifts."

The two shared a laugh over this, then NICOLE let out another glitched yawn, indicating her systems were exhausted and just about ready to shut down. Espio gave her a fatigued smile.

"Tired?"

"Yes." She sighed. "But I'm not ready to go back in the computer yet. I want to stay here with you."

"I did enjoy being able to spend time with you, but now we must rest. It wouldn't do to have the protector of New Mobotropolis half-charged to defend the city."

"Hah…you're right."

"I'm still connected to the Chaotix phone, so there's no need for me to leave. I'll, er, be here when you wake up. That is, if you want me to…"

NICOLE shifted her spot on the couch so she could get closer to him, but in her exhaustion ended up collapsing on top of him. She was ready to recharge, he could tell, by her glitching in and out of her Mobian form.

"Stay…" She whispered.

Espio gulped, unused to this closeness, but nevertheless shook off the uncomfortable feeling and forced himself to put an arm around her. "Of course."

He picked up the blanket so that he could cover both of themselves with it. NICOLE peacefully lied there on his chest, and he could faintly make out the sound of purring coming from her. He smiled, running his fingers through her hair, until her body started to power down. He only held her tighter, almost as if he was unwilling to let her go, but soon there was a flash of light, and all Espio was holding onto was the scarf he had given her. He looked at it and sighed, feeling that sense of loneliness from before, but this time more intense. He brought the piece of fabric up to his face, nuzzling it closely and inhaling the scent- _her_ scent. In his mind, he knew how pathetic this probably looked; NICOLE wasn't really gone, but why did he still miss her? He thought he'd finally be able to experience a true Christmas with somebody he liked and cared about, but not even she could stay with him.

Then his watch started to beep. Thinking it could be a client, he quickly took a glance. On the screen was a message, from none other than the holo-lynx herself.

 _NICOLE: Merry Christmas, Espio ^.^_

His eyes wandered to the watch, the corners of his lips tugging upward into a smile. He now understood the true meaning behind her gift. She couldn't have given it to him at a more perfect time.

"Indeed, it is." The chameleon smirked to himself, typing as best a response as he could while fighting off sleep.

 _Espio: Thank you for giving me the best present I could have ever asked for: you. Merry Christmas, NICOLE._


End file.
